wco81

Is it a particular Tesco location?

Or are they all mega stores with food courts?

transpac

You can't swing a dead cat here without hitting a food court or three. Every mall, office building, gas station, market has one.

Why eat on the street (cats, rats, dogs, fumes, rain, general khlong stench) when you can get food indoors? Yes, there are a few exceptions (Lumpini, Yaowarat, Ratchada, Petchaburi).

Food courts have a dozen, often more options, all in one location, with aircon. Mostly with stored-value/prepaid cards.

My favorites: Food Republic (Singapore food court chain with outlets in Siam Center, Central Rama 9, Mega Bang Na), Central World, Siam Paragon (Thip Samai outlet here). For me, it depends on where I am, and what dish(es) I want. For visitors, food courts are ideal, just get them a card and let them loose.

Regarding food-borne illnesses, Thai people get sick all the time. For me, I haven't been sick in a few years, at least since I stopped eating street food.

My definition of street food is limited to outlets which are temporary, mobile, cart-based, mostly take-away, but some with up to 5 tables. I think that's what the OP refers to?

Want to go here but just never make it... https://www.google.de/maps/place/Rua...7!4d100.561745

northsideguy

Every full service Tesco store I have been to in Thailand, had a food court. There are different sizes of Tesco (not including Tesco Express, which is like a 7-11) with small or large food court areas. For example the Tesco at Onnut BTS station has a large food court. Today I had lunch at Tesco Bang Kaeo on Bang Na Road which had a smaller food court but tasty food. But English is not often spoken. If you find yourself and have a difficult time ordering, use your phone to take a picture of the item on the menu board, and then show it to the person at the counter. Works every time.,

transpac

Been to this one twice, go early (~ 11:00 AM).

https://goo.gl/maps/2VLu14sZomPhJ23AA

estnet

Street food has no exclusive claim on food borne illness

https://boingboing.net/2020/01/17/yo...ns-guests.html

transpac

True that.

Here we have what seems like daily mass school food poisonings...

(This week)

Nearly 130 Chiang Mai Students Hospitalized for Food Poisoning

https://www.chiangraitimes.com/thail...ood-poisoning/


Stay away from the pickled bamboo shoots?

(An oldie)

The need for global planned mobilization of essential medicine: lessons from a massive Thai botulism outbreak

https://www.who.int/bulletin/volumes/85/3/06-039545/en/

bwiadca

Knock on the wood, I haven't got food poisoning during any of my trips to Thailand over the years, and I've been eating street food every day.
On the other hand, 7 of us went to very nice all you can eat seafood restaurant near BKK Airport https://www.facebook.com/SuvarnabhumiSeafoodBuffet399/
You pretty much catch your own shrimp and grill it in front of you. Two people from our party got sick for 2 weeks after eating there.
We were thinking what did they ate that we didn't and the conclusion was raw oysters.

I have 2 items that I will not eat while in Thailand. Crabs and oysters. Other than these two items, I've been eating pretty much everything and I'm yet to get sick.

We had a dinner two nights in a row at a pop up street food restaurant on a side walk by Ibis hotel on Sukhumvit. One of the best street food we had on our last trip to BKK. After finishing our dinner on a last night we went to see what's behind that 'blue tarp'. Apparently there was a dish-washing room Big basin with standing water, and a guy washing the plates. I can tell you that if we saw it before we ordered the food, we probably wouldn't be eating there. But the food was delicious. Each of us had at least two plates of food.

wco81

This Corona virus scare out of China, with victims found in other Asian countries including Thailand, makes you wonder about these live food markets.

They suspect it originated in markets where live animals and animal parts and seafood were being hawked.

Remember the bird flu was suspected of similar original, where they kept live fowl and then killed then right before preparation.

transpac

One of the two reported cases, Ash Sorley (Koh Phi Phi, evacuated to Phuket) has been confirmed as NOT having the Corona Virus. Not sure about the second reported case.

That said, given the arrivals for CNY (16,000 per day, from China and/or southern China per authorities), Thai authorities are expressing concern. Passengers are being screened and some are quarantined.